Release spring arrangement for foundation brake rigging



June 26, 1928.

' H. J. LOUNSBURY RELEASE SPRING ARRANGEMENT FOR FOUNDATION BRAKE RIGGING Fild Jan. 16, 1926 nnniwnya. nonnsBnmr, QE'GLEN nLLYn, .i-nnrn'ors, assrenonro w. nnmnn, INQ,

0E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A 'CQR'E OEJATIQN OF DELAWARE.

RELEASE SEEING ARRANGEMENT FOR EO.UNDATION BRAKE .RIG-GING, 3

Application filed January 16, 71926, SeriaI No. 31,623.

This; invention relates to foundation jbrakiel-rigggingsl I The purpose ofthe present invention is to provide ,mea ns ffor quickly releasing the brakerigging' of a railway oar after application-oi the-brakes either by the usual air brake. mechanism I g or handbrake mechanisn1 and quickly restore the rigging to fully released position so as 'to prevent drag- .10 ging of the bralie shoes against the wheels which occurs-in actual practice whenthe rigispenniitted to slacken gradually of its own volition lm'ore'specifie objecto'f .the invention "is .15 to, associate resilient means with the ordi-' nary air and hand brake equipment in such manner that the resilient means is compressed during application of the brakes either iby' air, or hand, and operates to immediately release the hand brake rigging exercising apu'll thereon :to completely v:u'n'win'd the brake staff, and further to restore the push rod of the air "brake to fully released position, whether the air and hand brake equipment is operated simultaneously lorindependentlyto apply theibrakes.

Other and further objects of the invention will more fully and clearly appear fromthe description and .c'laims hereinafter fol- .30 ilow'ing.

n. top plan View o'fithe underfframe of a railway car, showing an ordinary type of air lbraikabr ake lever, and aportionof thehand brake rigging, .and illustrating my invention in connection therewith. And Fig. .2 is a reasonably efiicient, is open to the very serious objection that after'an application either by airor by handythe rigging isnot released by any positive means, but is permitted to graduai'ly release through vibration and jarside elevation or a fragment of the under frame of ajrailway car, illustrating the air "brake Cylinder in partial section, together with a portion of the winding staff of the handbrake, and'i'llustrating my invention in connection therewith;

Ks illus'trated inlthe drawings, 10 indica tes a center sill or other 'beamunember forming part' o'f the under frame of trailway car, upon which maybe mounted an air'brake of a well known type, indicated as a whole'byfthe' referenoenumeral .11. The air brake includes the'usual reservoir '12 to which is connected the "air cylinder 13 having the usual piston "head 14, and hollow guide rod 15 slidably mounted therein, a helical spring 16 being disposed about the rod 15 and bearing against the piston head 14 and the forward wall 17 of the cylinder,

the usual manner. provided with the usual cylinder rod 24 'pivotally connected thereto, and with pullrod I shait step. the drawing, Fig.1 is a fragmentary well'known 'form, and no claimis made herein to the same,-except-in combination with :the releasing mechanism hereinafter de- Binds-31 A push rodf18 is slidably mounted within "theirod 15, said rod "IShaving an .inner enlarged portion '19'adapted to abut .the wall '20 forming part of "the piston head '14. "Saidipush .rod whenzthe same is in its inner most position extends outwardly beyond the end of the ,guide rod 15, "and"terminates in a 'forlredportion .21, between the fur-cations o'fwhlch is disposed one fend 22 of the brake lever' '23, which extends horizontally and transversely beneath the car underframe in" The brake lever 23 25,'forming part of the brake rigging.

18 is the usual hand brake rod '26, said rod being provided with .a forked portion 27fthe 'furcations of which ,fit over the :outer sides of the forked-portion 21 of thep'ush rod, a

connecting pin 28 extending through the forked portions '27, 21, and the end 22 of the brake lever 23, :thus securing the parts together for pivotal movement. The hand brake rod '26 may be connected tothe brake being securedto'the brakestaff 2'9 and" brake The construction thus'fardescribed is of scribed Attached to :the outer end of the push rod The brake riggingabove described, while ring oft-he parts; For instance, when the chain '31 is wound upon the brake staff '29,

to apply the brake, and the staif is subsequently released, the release depends upon the pull of the brake'rigging upon the winding chain, which pullprogressively grows weaker .and' therefore slower, as the mechanism approaches fully released position which frequently 'is never reached, resulting there are no means for returning the push rod to its innermost position with reference to the piston head. The combined result of the factors above mentioned causes an unsatisfactory release of the brake rigging, and as above stated it is my purpose to effect a full and rapid release of the rigging by a simple means, which operates to release the rigging whether operated by air or by hand, simultaneously, or independently.

The means by which the desired release I of the brake rigging is accomplished, as

shown in the drawings, consists in providing a bracket 40, the legs 41 of which are riveted to the center sill 10 as indicated at 42,

' preferably in proximity to the hand brake rod 26, the outer end 43 of the bracket having an aperture for the slidable reception of the hand brakerod 26, the outer portion 43 providing a stationary abutment. Interposed between the stationary abutment pro vided by the end 43 of the bracket, and the abutment44 formed by the forked portion 27 of the brake rodv 26, isa helical spring 45, said spring bearing against the stationary. abutment formed by the end of the bracket 43 andfthe abutment 44 provided by the forked end 27 of the brake rod 26, said spring being of suitable strength so as to urge the, end 27- of the brake rod, the end 22 of the lever 23, and the push rod 18 of the air brake mechanism in a direction to effect full released position of the brake rigging.

In operation, upon admission of air to the brake cylinder 13, outward movement of the piston head 14 of course effects outward movement of the push rod 18, which operates the brake lever 23 to set the brakes,

and at the same time compresses the spring 45 against theabutment 43 formed by the bracket 40, and when the air is released from the cylinder 14, said spring urges push rod toward its innermost position carrying the brake lever 23 therewith, with a consequent full. release of the brake rigging. Likewise when the hand brake is applied, movement. of the brake rod when actedupon by the chain 31 being wound on the brake staff, will compress the spring 45, which when the brake staff 29 is released, will urge the brake rod 26 and brake line 23 toward fully released position, assuring complete unwinding of the chain from the brake staff, and the withdrawal of. the brake shoes from engagement with the wheels. I Compression of the spring45 also results upon thev combined application of the brakes by the hand brake mechanism and air brake mechanism, and when .said mechanisms are released, the. spring 45will operate to return nection betweensaid transmitting member and said winding element, said connection having a portion adapted to be wound on said winding member to operate said transmitting member to tighten said brake rigs e'; through said bracket, and resilient means comprising acoiled springdisposed about aportion of said connection and having one end bearing on said transmitting member and the opposite end on said. bracket and adapted to be compressed when said con.- neetion is moved by said winding element to tighten said rigging, said resilient means operatingto exert a pull uponsaid connection to fully unwind the winding element when the same is released to entirely slacken said brake rigging.

said operative connection extending 2. In a mechanism of the character deiscribed, the combination with a railway car;

brake lever; an air '95 a brake riggingfor said car including a brake mechanism j mounted upon the car. structure ,andincluding an air cylinder and piston; a hand brake 7 having a connection with said brake "lever at one end thereof; a push rod associated with said air brake mechanism and connected to said lever at said end, said push rodbeing free to move without operationof said piston whensaid hand brake mechanism is operated; and resilient means in the form of a coiled spring interposed between a fixed portion of the car structure and said brake lever and disposed about saidconnection, whereby the same is compressed by movement of saidbrake lever in adirection to apply the brakes, said resilient; means operating to move said lever in the reverse direction when the brake applying means are free. s In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name th is 13th 7 I day of January 1926. c H HARVEY 'J. o NsBUR 

